Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Saler

Red Wings-Predators: Series Preview

Matt Saler — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:25:16 -0400

Update (12:20 PM): Bob Duff writes that McCarty "wasn't counting on playing" when he talked to him this morning. - Matt

Update (12:12 PM): Ansar Khan reports that with Mikael Samuelsson set to play, the final roster spot will go to either Aaron Downey or Darren McCarty. Bruce MacLeod, on the other hand, reported earlier that McCarty would get the nod.

Khan provides projected lines and pairings for Nashville:

Jan Hlavac-Jason Arnott-J.P. Dumont
Martin Erat-Radek Bonk-Alexander Radulov
Vern Fiddler-Scott Nichol-Jerred Smithson
Brandon Bochenski-Rich Peverley-Jordin Tootoo

Dan Hamhuis-Greg de Vries
Ryan Suter-Marek Zidlicky
Greg Zanon-Shea Weber

- Matt

Tonight is Game 1 of "Series E," the Western Conference Quarterfinal between the #1 seed Detroit Red Wings and the #8 seed Nashville Predators.

Playoff History

It is the second time the teams have met in the playoffs. In 2004, the Wings knocked the Predators out of the first round in six games. It was Nashville's first ever trip to the post-season.

2004 series recaps:

Game 1: Wings 3, Predators 1
Game 2: Wings 2, Predators 1
Game 3: Wings 1, Predators 3
Game 4: Wings 0, Predators 3
Game 5: Wings 4, Predators 1
Game 6: Wings 2, Predators 0

Regular Season Series

The eight-game regular season series ended 5-3 in Detroit's favor. The Wings won November 7th (3-2 SO), December 10th (2-1), March 9 (4-3), March 20th (6-3) and March 30th (1-0 OT). The Predators' wins came November 22nd (3-2), February 12th (4-2) and March 15th (3-1).

The Predators

The Predators finished the season 41-32-9 with 91 points. They were just 18-18-2 through December 31st, but a 23-14-7 second half put them in the playoffs. They finished the season with a 5-1-1 flourish after a 3-6-0 stretch.

They clinched a spot when Vancouver lost 2-1 to Edmonton on the third. Their 3-1 loss to Chicago on the 4th locked them in 8th place.

The Predators have a 4-12 post-season record and have yet to win a series. They were bounced in five games the past two years in a row by San Jose. This is the organization's fourth playoff series.

Forwards

JP Dumont (76) and Jason Arnott (76) led the team in points. Dumont's 29 goals were a team-high, with Arnott coming in at a close second with 28.

Just two other Predators hit the 20-goal mark: Alexander Radulov (26) and Martin Erat (23).

David Legwand (15), Radek Bonk (14), Jan Hlavac (12), Vernon Fiddler (11), Jordin Tootoo (11), and Scott Nichol (10) were the only other Preds to finish with double-digit goal totals. Martin Gelinas came close with 9, but had his season cut short by a knee injury.

Erat led all skaters with eight points against the Wings this season. He and Radulov both scored 4 goals. Dumont and Arnott notched 5 assists.

The forward corps contributed 208 goals to the Preds' 12th-place 227 goal total.

Arnott led the forwards and the team in plus-minus with a +19. Nichol (12), Radulov (7), Brandon Bochenski (6), Dumont (5), Martin Gelinas (5), and Peverly (4) finished in the positives.

Darcy Hortichuk (-1), Hlavac (-1), Erat (-3), Legwand (-4), Fiddler (-4), Tootoo (-8), and Jerred Smithson (-9) finished in the minuses. Radek Bonk was a team-worst -31.

As a group, the Predators' forwards have 431 games of playoff experience.

Martin Gelinas leads the way with 147, 11 of which came against the Wings. He has 7 points over those 11 games, but his total playoff production is 56 points, 23 of which were goals. Due to his knee, however, he won't play in this series.

Jason Arnott is the second-most experience forward with regard to the playoffs, having appeared in 96 post-season games. He has never faced the Wings in the post-season. His 63 career playoff points are a high on Nashville.

The Predators' forward corps has elements of size, with Jason Arnott leading the group at 6'4", 220 lbs. Radek Bonk is not far behind at 6'3" 213. Darcy Hordichuk (215), JP Dumont (205), Vernon Fiddler (204), and Jan Hlavac (201) all crack 200 pounds. A further five players weigh in at 190 or more.

Defense

Marek Zidlicky led the team with 43 points, 38 of which were assists. Ryan Suter's 31 points were good for second. Dan Hamhuis (27) and Shea Weber (20) were the only other defensemen to crack 20 points.

Ville Koistinen finished with 17 points and Greg De Vries finished with 15, but Greg Zanon ended up with just five assists.

The defense accounted for 19 of the Preds' total team goals-for.

Koistinen led the defense in plus-minues with a +13. De Vries was +7 and Suter was +3.

The rest of the blueline finished in the minuses: Hamhuis (-4), Zanon (-5), Zidlicky (-5), and Weber (-6).

The defense has 148 games of playoff exeperience, most of which were logged by De Vries (105) during his years with Colorado.

Dan Hamhuis has appeared in all 16 Nashville playoff games.

De Vries is the heaviest Nashville defender at 215 lbs, but the 213-lb, 6'3" Weber is the tallest. Zanon (211), Hamhuis (211) and Suter (200) break 200 lbs, but Zidlicky and Koistinen are pegged at 190.

Hamhuis is the big TOI guy, with an average of 22:43 minutes per game. Zidlicky and Suter average 20:49 and 20:34, respectively. Weber, De Vries and Zanon are good for 19:00, give or take 30 seconds.

Goaltending

Dan Ellis has been pegged as the starter for this series. He finished 23-10-3 and appeared in 44 games. He posted a 2.34 GAA and .924 save-percentage.

His colleague, Chris Mason, went 18-22-6, appearing in 51 games and posting a 2.90 GAA and .898 save-percentage.

Mason and Ellis have five games of playoff experience between them and all of them belong to Mason. He posted a 1-4 record in last year's playoffs. Ellis has just 45 NHL games of any kind under his belt.

Injuries

The Predators lost 238 man-games to injury. 82 of those were because of Steve Sullivan's back injury, which has had him out indefinitely.

Currently, Nashville is without Gelinas (knee, season), Ortmeyer (knee, season), and Legwand (foot, day-to-day).

Legwand practiced yesterday, but his status for tonight is "doubtful."

Resources

Pred-Joe
Official blog
LadyPredator
On the Forecheck
The Tennessean blog

The Tennessean

The Red Wings

The Wings finished the season 54-21-7 for 115 points. They skated to a 41-10-4 record through February 5th, but a 1-8-2 skid over the rest of the month hurt their pace. They rebounded in March and April, however, finishing with a 12-3-1 record in their final 16. Thus it would be a falsehood to say that they "faltered down the stretch."

The Wings clinched a playoff spot with their March 13th win over Dallas, notching their 99th and 100th points in the process. They clinched first overall with their 3-2 win over Columbus on April 3rd, beating out San Jose for the honor.

The Red Wing organization is 269-248-1 (yes, one tie) all-time in the post-season. That translates to 58 series wins and 45 exits. This is the organization's 104th playoff series.

Forwards

Pavel Datsyuk lead all Detroit skaters with 97 points, an NHL 4th-best. His 66 assists were also a team-high.

Henrik Zetterberg led the team in goals with 43 and his 92 points put him in second place among Red Wing skaters.

In addition to Zetterberg, the Wings received double-digit goal contributions from seven other forwards: Datsyuk (31), Johan Franzen (27), Tomas Holmstrom (20), Dan Cleary (20), Valtteri Filppula (19), Jiri Hudler (13), and Mikael Samuelsson (11). Only six regulars finished with less than ten goals.

The Wings' forward corps contributed 210 of the Wings' 3rd-best 252 goals.

Pavel Datsyuk finished the league leader in plus-minus at +41. The Wings' featured three over +20-or-better forwards: Mikael Samuelsson (+21), Dan Cleary (+21), and Henrik Zetterberg (+30).

Only three regulars finished in the minuses: Kris Draper (-2), Kirk Maltby (-8), and Dallas Drake (-12).

As a group, the Wings' forwards have 858 games of playoff experience. Much of that is concentrated in the old Grind Line trio of Kris Draper (172), Darren McCarty (157), and Kirk Maltby (137), the last of whom is unlikely to appear in this series due to a hamstring injury.

Tomas Kopecky has appeared in four playoff games, but he will not play in this post-season because of a torn ACL.

Tomas Holmstrom (108) is the only other Red Wing forward with 100 or more playoff games under his belt. His 62 playoff points are a team high for forwards, as are his 32 post-season goals.

The Wings' forwards, though typically thought of as small, are not without large bodies. Johan Franzen, at 6'3", 220lbs, is the biggest man up front. Justin Abdelkader and Aaron Downey are both listed as 6'1", 215 lbs. Mikael Samuelsson (213), Daniel Cleary (210), Darren McCarty (210), Tomas Holmstrom (203), and Mark Hartigan (200) weigh in at 200 or more.

The remaining Red Wing regulars range from 195 (Zetterberg) to 182 lbs (Hudler).

At this point, the Wings' forward units look like this:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Filppula-Franzen-Cleary
Hudler-Draper-Samuelsson
Drake-Hartigan-McCarty

With that lineup, healthy scratches include Aaron Downey, prospect Justin Abdelkader, and call-up Darren Helm.

Defense

Nick Lidstrom led the Wings in defenseman scoring with 70 points, 60 of which were assists.

Brian Rafalski finished with 55 points and 42 assists. His 13 goals were a team high.

Niklas Kronwall (35) and Brad Stuart (23) were the only other Red Wings defensemen to notch 20 or more points. Stuart earned 21 of his 23 while with LA prior to the trade deadline.

The defense accounted for 42 of the Wings' team goals.

Lidstrom narrowly missed besting his teammate Datsyuk's plus-minus with a +40. His regular defense partner Rafalski finished +27. Kronwall and Chris Chelios finished +25 and +11 respectively.

Brett Lebda (-1) and Andreas Lilja (-2) were the only regulars to finish in the minuses.

Brad Stuart's season ended with him at -10, but that's a relic from his days with the Kings. He was +6 with Detroit.

Together, the Wings' defensemen have 646 games of playoff experience. Chris Chelios accounts for 246 of those and Lidstrom accounts for a further 192. Brian Rafalski (192) is the only other Red Wing with triple digit games of playoff experience.

When Chelios suits up tonight, he'll be tying the record for all-time playoff games played, a record currently held by Patrick Roy.

Stuart has seen the ice in 52 playoff games and Lilja has been there for 30. Lebda has 18. Kronwall is on the low end with just six games under his belt.

Chelios has a team-high 144 playoff points and Lidstrom is not far behind with 136. Nick's 39 goals is a team best.

The Wings' big man on the blueline is Andreas Lilja at 220 lbs and 6'3". Brad Stuart isn't far off at 6'2", 213lbs.

After that, the Wings' defensemen are pretty small. Lebda is listed at 195, but, at 5'9", he is the shortest defender. Brian Rafalski is just 5'10" and 191 lbs. Chelios carries 191 lbs on a six-foot frame, but Kronwall is listed at 189 at the same height. Nick Lidstrom weighs in at 189, but is 6'1".

Lidstrom is, predictably, the guy getting the big minutes in Detroit. His 26:43 in average TOI leads all skaters in the Winged Wheel. Rafalski (24:04), Stuart (21:09), and Kronwall (21:06) each cracked 20 minutes just about every night. Andreas Lilja averaged 18:13. Chris Chelios and Brett Lebda each averaged between 16:00 and 17:00 minutes a game.

When fully healthy, the Wings' defense should look like this:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Chelios-Lilja

Lebda

Jonathan Ericsson, Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey, and Garrett Stafford have also filled in when needed. Ericsson and Quincey are going to be playoff call-ups, but hopefully will only see time in practice. Meech also should only be a practice player, if all goes well.

Goalies

Dominik Hasek will be the starter this series. He posted a 27-10-3 record and appeared in 41 games. He finished with a 2.14 GAA, which was good for 4th in the League, and a .902 save-percentage. He is not the goalie he once was, but he remains a good one and will be doing his job as long as he allows no soft goals.

He will be backed up by Chris Osgood, who finished first with a 2.09 GAA. His record was 27-9-4 and he appeared in 43 games. He posted a save-percentage of .914. If Hasek were to go down with injury or not play up to the standard expected of him, Osgood is well capable of stepping in.

Hasek and Osgood have a combined 202 games of post-season experience.

Injuries

The Wings lost 199 man games to injury this season. During the month of February, they had the distinction of having six regulars, including their four most important defensemen, out at the same time.

The current injured list includes Tomas Kopecky (torn ACL, sprained MCL, out for season) and Kirk Maltby (hamstring, late in the series).

According to Bruce MacLeod, Brad Stuart (broken finger) will play tonight, as will Mikael Samuelsson (groin).

Some doubt was cast on the status of Tomas Holmstrom (groin) yesterday, but it looks like he's in tonight.

Resources

Snapshots
Abel to Yzerman
HockeyTownTodd
Behind the Jersey
No Pun Intended
yzerman is god
Detroit Hockey
LetsGoWings
Red Wings Brasil
BR Red Wings
Winging It In Motown
The Hockeytown Blog

Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
mLive

Thoughts

Looking at the two team's records down the stretch, it the idea that the Wings struggled and the Predators flourished isn't really borne out. If anything, the Wings had the stronger finish, not least because they finally found a way to beat the Central Division.

Of course, it must be admitted that their level of play declined relative to their performance through January. However, that is more a measure of their first half dominance than a mark against them. They were just that good in the first months of the season.

The skid in February was awful, but by the end of the season, they were on their way to regaining the momentum they had through January. Given that their injury troubles did not end when Lidstrom. Chelios, Rafalski, Kronwall, and Cleary returned, their record in the final month seems pretty good.

The Predators deserve a lot of credit for overcoming a poor start and off-ice distractions by making the playoffs. Of course, they sort of backed into the post-season, but the fact that they were in position to step in when the Canucks fell off says a lot.

They played the Wings tough this season, as they generally have in recent years, but whether that was a part of the Wings' mental block about the Central this season or Nashville's prowess, I don't know. We'll find out the answer to that question in this series.

I'm not one for predictions, so I'm not giving a specific one. Like always, I go into this series with the expectation that the Wings will win it, but with the realization that they could collapse and be eliminated instead.

In this case, the Predators playing their best hockey are no match for the Wings playing their "A" game. The question is whether or not Detroit will play to their potential. If they don't, they certainly run the risk of being upset.

For the Wings, "A" game means puck possession. They need to keep the puck away from the Predators' top forwards with crisp passing and smart plays. A return to their physical first round form of last season would be a plus. When they don't have the puck, they need to play perfect positional defense. When the Predators break through in spite of the defense, Dominik Hasek needs to be there to make the save.

No offense to the Predators, but this is Detroit's series to win or lose.

It's the most exciting time of the year for hockey fans. It's also the most painful. Every shot, hit, and pass matters. I hope your heart can handle the stress.

Other previews

Sources

The NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs 2008 media site (especially here)

NHL Links: April 10

Matt Saler — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:19:47 -0400

Update (4:29 PM): The guys at Orland Kurtenblog look at the "NHL Experts Picks" for the Wings/Predators series. - Matt

Update (4:18 PM): Heh. (via A2Y) - Matt

Update (4:16 PM): Steph has a preview of the Wings/Predators series posted. - Matt

Update (3:15 PM): This is great. For the background, read this and this. Kevin Schultz has a good response. - Matt

Update (1:25 PM): IwoCPO presents the keys to the Wings/Predators series. - Matt

... James Mirtle reacts to the first night of the playoffs.

... HockeyTownTodd comments on the Wings/Predators series as only he can.

... Rangers fans made a good showing as their team opened the playoffs across the river in New Jersey.

... The Flames beat the Sharks in Game 1. I'll be honest. I didn't see that one coming.

... This one, however, came as no surprise: Pittsburgh 4, Ottawa 0.

... Ansar Khan says the Wings aren't looking past the first round. They're also ready for the physical challenge of the post-season.

... This year's under-the-rader player, Johan Franzen, is the subject of a Khan profile.

... Bruce MacLeod has a piece on the Wings' big three net front players: Franzen, Dan Cleary, and Tomas Holmstrom.

... The Forechecker gives Predators fans reason to believe.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook: April 7th

Matt Saler — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:46:01 -0400

The Wings wrapped up the 2007-2008 regular season with a 4-1 win over Chicago yesterday afternoon. There isn't much to say about the game. The Hawks put up a fair fight, but were too shorthanded to do much, and the Wings were too businesslike to let the game get out of hand.

We can hope that Jiri Hudler's goal is a sign of more to come in the post-season. Darren McCarty's feed on the goal may not become a regular event, but it looks like he's rounding into form. Dominik Hasek's performance also helped put to rest some doubts about his readiness for the playoffs.

Two defensemen with minor injuries, Brian Rafalski (neck) and Chris Chelios (groin), sat out the game for rest purposes. Derek Meech filled in for Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson was called up late to fill in for Chelios.

Dallas Drake also had the game off, though apparenly not because of an injury. Justin Abdelkader subbed for the elder Wings forward.

Tomas Holmstrom returned from a groin injury but wasn't overwhelming.

The Wings won the Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals-against, though not without some controversy. George Malik covers that here.

Pavel Datsyuk finished with the best plus-minus in the NHL at +41. He still wasn't mentioned during the NBC broadcast as a possible Selke candidate. The old stereotype of Pavel Datsyuk as the typically offensive Russian forward persists.

Nick Lidstrom finished +40, by the way.

NHL.com is launching a re-design this week. It sounds like it'll be pretty good.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook: April 5

Matt Saler — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 07:11:42 -0400

Update (2:12 PM): Helene St. James notes that the playoff schedule given below is not yet official. It's just what the team is anticipating. - Matt

Update (2:06 PM): For those wondering why the Wings signed Abdelkader when they could have just called up a Griffin or two, here's my thinking (posted as a comment over at Abel to Yzerman in response to IwoCPO calling it a panic signing):

"I think it’s a matter of timing. Abdelkader decided just this past week that he was going to forgo his senior year at MSU. When he told the Wings, they had two routes they could take: 1) sign him by the Saturday deadline and have him available for the playoffs, or 2) let him hang out for a summer and sign him by the August deadline so that he could join the organization next season.

"The benefits of Option 1 are obvious: you can bring in a highly-touted prospect who would be idle otherwise. He brings a fast, physical style as well as buckets of motivation to play for his home team. If nothing else, he can join the group of young guys the team will be calling up at the end of the Griffins’ season and give the Wings a heck of a practice squad.

"So, they signed him to an amateur tryout in order to whet his appetite. He then signed the entry level contract and now has the chance to play hockey in real life this summer instead of on his Xbox.

"Not a panic signing at all. Just a realization that an idle Justin Abdelkader is a waste of talent."

- Matt

Ansar Khan has an update from practice:

... Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen/groin) is definitely going to play tomorrow. He'll skate on Henrik Zetterberg's wing with Pavel Datsyuk.

... Kris Draper (groin) is out tomorrow, but claimed he'll be back for Game 1. So, the 10-14 days claim from the FSN broadcast Thursday night was incorrect. Draper implied that he'd be playing through pain by telling Khan he would play tomorrow if it were the playoffs.

... Mikael Samuelsson (groin) was on the ice but not for long. No return date has been set yet.

... The team recalled Darren Helm from the Griffins, apparently to give Babcock more options.

... The practice lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Filppula-Franzen-Cleary
Drake-Hartigan-Downey
Hudler-Helm-McCarty

... Justin Abdelkader was the odd man out in practice, but Babcock told Khan he'd dress 13 forwards prior to the game and decide who sits after warmups.

... Brian Rafalski will be rested tomorrow, which means Derek Meech will be on the blueline.

... Lastly, Khan provides the first round schedule. Not times yet, but Game 2 will be an evening game, apparently:

Game 1 -- Thursday in Detroit
Game 2 -- Saturday in Detroit
Game 3 -- April 14 in Nashville
Game 4 -- April 16 in Nashville
x-Game 5 -- April 18 in Detroit
x-Game 6 -- April 20 in Nashville
x-Game 7 -- April 22 in Detroit

x-if necessary

Red Wings Forward Tomas Kopecky Tears Ligament in Knee; to Miss 4-6 Months

Matt Saler — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:45:37 -0400

(via On the Wings)

George Sipple reports that Tomas Kopecky tore his ACL and sprained his MCL last night.

According to Ken Holland, he'll need surgery when the swelling subsides. He will miss 4-6 months, which puts him out of the playoffs for sure. At latest, he'll be making his return to the ice around the time the Wings start the 08-09 season.

What a shame. Kopecky has had a solid season, occasional weak games aside. He plays angry, which is always a good thing to see in a Red Wings forward, and has the size to back it up.

As Ken Holland told Sipple,“We’ll miss him. Our depth is getting tested up front.”

The Wings do have that depth, though. Given the size and speed of Justin Abdelkader, it's not outside the realm of possibility that he could find a place on the roster while players like Mikael Samuelsson (groin) and Kris Draper (groin) recover. His lack of experience counts against him, of course, but he stands a fair chance of winning over Babcock, I would think.

Darren McCarty is also an option, though he apparently has a ways to go with attaining NHL-level conditioning (one possible explanation for his being a healthy scratch twice since returning).

Best wishes on a speedy recovery, Tomas. See you next season.

Justin Abdelkader Signs Entry-Level Contract with Detroit Red Wings

Matt Saler — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:41:56 -0400

(via On the Wings)

Bruce MacLeod reports that the Wings have signed 21-year-old Justin Abdelkader to a three-year entry-level contract.

No financial details have been release yet, of course, but there is a limited range for these types of contracts. As a "Group 1 Player" drafted in 2005, though, Abdelkader can receive no more than $850,000 a year and no less than $62,500 under the current CBA (PDF). It's a good bet Abdelkader is in the upper half of that range.

He'll be staying with the team throughout the playoffs.

No surprise here. Abdelkader had until tomorrow to sign in order to be eligible to play in the post-season and you know he wasn't going to miss the chance to suit up for the Wings before next year. He is a homegrown Michigan boy, after all.

Ansar Khan quotes Ken Holland as saying, "Now it's up to Mike (coach Babcock) to decide if he wants to use him." You can bet "Abs" will make a good case for himself.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook 4/4

Matt Saler — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:53:18 -0400

(via On the Wings)

I only caught the first period of the game, so I can only comment directly on that.

I thought it was a marked improvement over their first period performance in Chicago Wednesday night. Dominik Hasek looked strong, the forwards were dangerous, and the defense was relatively tight.

It's easy to write the Jackets off because they aren't making the playoffs once again. However, they have developed into a talented team and are just a piece or two away from providing competition in the Central.

The common assessment is that they just need a center for Rick Nash and a puck-moving defenseman. It's hard to disagree. They've already got most everything else.

Just from the highlight reel, it's easy to see why the Wings had to make a comeback in this one: Pascal Leclaire. The guy had 36 saves in his first game back from a concussion, and there were some very impressive ones.

Dominik Hasek's 20 saves is an obvious improvement over his performance prior to being pulled Wednesday, but I'm a little concerned about the two goals he did allow.

The replays show long shots that were only marginally screened. I can't tell if either of them was tipped, but I do know that the original shooter got credit both times. So, if they came off deflections, it was off a Red Wing both times. That would just be Dom's luck.

Maybe someone who saw them live can comment on Dom's performance?

The good news here, aside from the win, is the fact that the Wings finally locked up first place overall and home ice throughout the playoffs. I hear they hand out a trophy for that, but I'm more interested in the fact that they won't have to deal with any road game sevens.

The bad news is the injury to Tomas Kopecky. He hurt his knee 6:40 into the third period when he got tangled up with Manny Malholtra. He didn't make it back and the initial impression wasn't a positive one. He'll be undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury.

Kopey is a role player on the team, and a valuable one. He's still in the maturing phase of his game, and he plays with an edge that would have been vital in the postseason. Here's hoping he's not out long.

In addition to the bad news about Kopecky, the news on Maltby was less than good. Mickey Redmond said before the game, that it looks like he'll be out 10-14 days.

With Vancouver's loss and Nashville's win, the Canucks and Blackhawks were eliminated from playoff contention. The remaining possibilities are Calgary and Nashville.

If Chicago beats the Preds tonight, we'll see Nashville in the first round. If the Predators lose and the Predators win, we'll get the Flames in the first round for the second year in a row.

By all accounts, it sounds like Justin Abdelkader had a strong debut. Given that and the fact that Kopecky is hurt, he may find a regular injury replacement spot in the coming weeks.

Of course, there remains the small issue of his entry level contract, on which he and the team must agree by Saturday. Otherwise he'll be inelligible for postseason play. I doubt there'll be much trouble with that, though.

An injury update: Tomas Holmstrom (groin/abdomen) characterized himself as definitely in for Sunday's game.

Mike Babcock Conference Call Transcript

Matt Saler — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:20:20 -0400

(Via NHL Media today. I love his response to the Central Division question and his take on the injuries to Lidstrom, Draper, Chelios, etc. certainly is an interesting one. The last paragraph is exciting—Matt)

DAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the National Hockey League's Public Relations Department. I'd like to welcome you to our call. With us we have Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock.

Thanks to Mike for taking the time today to answer your questions. And thanks to John Hahn of the Red Wings Public Relations Department for arranging the call. With a record of 52-20-7 for 111 points, Detroit needs one point in their last three games to clinch home ice throughout the playoffs. Also it would be the sixth time in the past 13 years that the Red Wings have won the Presidents’ Trophy as regular season Champions.

In each of his three seasons behind the bench Mike has recorded 50 wins and he has posted an overall record of 160-55-28. With their eighth consecutive 100 point season Detroit has tied the NHL record held by the Montreal Canadiens. With 17 consecutive season in the playoffs Detroit has the longest post season streak in pro sports.

The red Wings play in Chicago tomorrow, host Columbus Thursday and finish the regular season with the NBC Game of the Week on Sunday against the Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena.

Q Are you worried about just cruising into the Stanley Cup Playoffs

MIKE BABCOCK: I've been on both ends of it in the Stanley Cup playoffs. When you're the higher seed, the other teams have usually been battling like crazy and sometimes you've been drifting along. The great thing for us this year is our games down the stretch here have been against teams that are good teams that have played us real difficult. We had Nashville in here the other day. We'll get Chicago here tomorrow or there tomorrow. And they're battling for their playoff life. So they've given us really good games.

Q First off, just want to ask about facing the 8 seed. Obviously the pundits say 1 versus 8. The Red Wings are heavily favored. How big of a challenge is it for you to play these teams who have been basically in playoff mode for a while before the actual playoffs begin?

MIKE BABCOCK: It's like anything: I think the line between the best teams and the teams finishing eighth is very, very little. I said this, I don't know how many months ago, three months ago: You look at the team and who you want to play, you don't want to play anybody. They're all that good. And we've been real fortunate this year. We have a very professional group. We get prepared to play most every night. We have two solid goaltenders. That's allowed us to win a lot of close games all year long and be successful.

Yet, in saying all that, when you come in the rink and you watch as a fan, if you're expecting us to shellack the other team, that never happens. It doesn't work like that in this league now. Every team is capable of beating the other team. We all have very good players. Some of the teams that are younger and haven't been making the playoffs may have more depth in a lot of ways than the other teams just because they've got more guys in their system.

Q That leads into my next question. How offensive is it to you when people say the Red Wings are only successful because they play in a so-called weak division?

MIKE BABCOCK: What I know when they say that is they're not very smart. What I mean is you go through the NHL stats. I don't have it in front of me. But our record is terrible in our own division. We are 15-11-3 in the Central. We're 15-2-3 in the Northwest. We're 15-5-0 in the Pacific. So what most people think, it's the opposite way around. We've actually only lost five games in the West outside our own division.

Q Coach, is there a lot of pressure that comes with earning the Presidents' Trophy? I know you need one more point to establish that. But is there a lot of pressure that comes with earning the Presidents' Trophy and entering the playoffs and how is your team viewing that?

MIKE BABCOCK: Well, the way I look at it is this: No one talks about us, they only talk about San Jose and Anaheim in the West. So to me we're just sliding in there unnoticed and we'll do the best we possibly can.

Q And what do you think you learned about your team during that tough stretch in February?

MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I think any time you go through tough stretches, it's a real positive thing. The bottom line is: We found out we got a lot of young kids in the minors ready to play in the NHL. You find out how good Rafalski, Lidstrom and Kronwall are in a hurry. And you find out that if you're going to have a group of D that can't move the puck you better get a whole bunch of six-foot-four forwards so you can flip it in and forecheck more. Now it's not that we can't forecheck, but we play more of get on you on the rush. When you're just slamming it in or you're rimming it around, I think you have to be bigger to forecheck.

Q What's your take on the remarkable streak of 17 straight seasons that the Wings have qualified for playoffs?

MIKE BABCOCK: It's absolutely phenomenal. In our hallway, going into our dressing room, you have all the years since the Ilitches have taken over. There were some tough years when they first started. But there's great years since. I think the thing that's impressive here is the ownership and their passion for success and that's in every business they're in. It carries on through their employees. They hire, I think, really good people and they let them do their job. I'm very impressed. We've got a real good hockey club here. But we've got great leadership from Mike and Mary Ilitch down through Kenny Holland and through our team with people like Lidstrom and Zetterberg and Datsyuk, obviously Draper and Chelios. So to me we have quality leadership here and that allows us to be successful.

Q With Chelios and Kris Draper and Nick Lidstrom, do you believe in resting guys down the stretch and was the really the Lidstrom injury kind of a blessing in disguise?

MIKE BABCOCK: That's what we said right at the time. Cheli got hurt as well.

Q Are you arranging these hits?

MIKE BABCOCK: It's unbelievable. That's what I said to Ken Holland, what happened with Lidstrom. You think I'm going to sit him out that many games in a row, it never was going to happen. Same thing happened with Zetterberg. And so when you go through it with Holmstrom, Cleary, Draper, we've had everybody hurt. So they've had good rest.

And saying that, though, what's the best way. And I just, you know, my latest kind of look at it is just the NFL playoffs and New York Giants and them battling and not resting anybody and then winning it all. Now, if they had played and the wrong guy had got hurt, you know, you'd say, geez, was that ever dumb. But I think second-guessing is left to do after the fact.

No matter what you do, if you don't win in the end you did the wrong thing. So what you're going to do is we're talking to our individuals. What I mean by that is Zetterberg and Datsuk and Lidstrom and Rafalski and Hasek, we'll have talked a number of times. And these guys have been in the playoffs many times. They played a long time. They understand what they need.

That's what we talk about and that's what we try to arrange. It's interesting. The other day, we were getting ready to play St. Louis, in the weight room Datsyuk and Zetterberg are going crazy. They're getting ready for the playoffs, not for that night's game. I want to win the game that night, they want to be ready for the playoffs. I like that focus.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook: April 1

Matt Saler — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:52:18 -0400

Update (2:12 PM): Ansar Khan also has more, but about the only new piece of injury-related information is that Holmstrom said he expects to play Thursday night.

Khan also astutely suggests that Babcock may break up the Eurotwins on the road, but keep them together at home, when he has the last change. - Matt

Update (2:05 PM): George Sipple has some more on Draper's injury, with quotes from Mike Babcock. Apparently, it is a recurrence of the groin issue that kept him out earlier this month, though it does not sound that serious. The team is just being cautious. - Matt

... Bruce MacLeod has some bad news: Kris Draper skipped out on nearly the entire practice today due to tightness in his groin. He definitely will not play tomorrow or Thursday, and probably won't return for the home game Sunday. MacLeod says he likely won't be back until the playoffs begin on the 10th.

As MacLeod points out, Draper only recently returned from a groin injury that sidelined him for five games. Here's hoping this goes away with some rest.

... It looks like Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) won't return tomorrow after all. The team is looking at a possible Thursday return date for #96, who has missed 11 games. Just as long as he's good and ready. There's no rush.

... Mikael Samuelsson (groin) did not skate and does not appear to be close to returning.

... In an earlier post, MacLeod reported that Brad Stuart (broken finger) took part in practice, but did not participate in 5-on-5 drills.

... MacLeod also provided the practice lines and pairings:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Cleary
Hudler-Zetterberg-Franzen
Kopecky-Hartigan-Maltby
Downey-Drake-McCarty

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

It's interesting to see the Eurotwins split up again. Obviously, that's preparation for the playoffs, when keeping them together (and matched up against the opposition's shutdown players) would be less productive than splitting them up.

Also, with Draper's injury, it looks like we won't get a reprieve from Hartigan any time soon.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook 3/31

Matt Saler — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:12:38 -0400

Update (1:17 PM): According to Ted Kulfan, Tomas Holmstrom has been cleared to play Wednesday in Chicago. So, it wasn’t just Homer’s optimism after all. - Matt

Update (12:11 PM): Ansar Khan has more, including quotes from Holmstrom and Stuart. - Matt

Update (11:38 PM): MacLeod has good news on the Holmstrom front. Evidently he's feeling good enough to play this week. He's confident he'll be in the lineup Thursday against Columbus.

Take that with a grain of salt, of course, because it all depends on what the organization wants.

It's probable that they'd prefer he rest. On the other hand, they may want him to get a couple games under his belt before the postseason.

•Dominik Hasek will start Thursday and Sunday. Chris Osgood will start Thursday.

•Mikael Samuelsson (groin) did not skate and no return date has been set.

•MacLeod says Brad Stuart could pass well, but he could not shoot "with any authority." Stuart said he expects to be back next week, which would put his return at the start of the playoffs. - Matt

And briefly:

•Both Bruce MacLeod and Helene St. James are reporting that Brad Stuart (broken finger) practiced today.

According to MacLeod, he was shooting and passing, which is a definite good sign. He says it's possible that Stuart could make it back for Game 1, which, by the way, could be as soon as next Thursday, the 10th.

•Both of them also report that Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen, groin) participated in the skate, which St. James characterizes as "highly optional."

MacLeod promises to try to have an update on Homer's status following practice. St. James writes that it's unlikely he'll be back before the end of the regular season, which comes Sunday.

Red Wings-Predators: Detroit Edges Nashville in OT

Matt Saler — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:20:01 -0400

There isn't much to say about this one. Both teams played very conservatively down to the end and kept things relatively unexciting. It was good to see the Wings pull out a win in such a tightly-played game.

Dan Ellis stole the show with a 35-save effort, but Dominik Hasek was very strong as well, finishing with a 22-save shutout. He was aided by the post and crossbar about four times, but made a number of big saves on his own. If that was any indication of how he'll play in the post-season, the Wings should be in fair shape.

Johan Franzen still cannot be stopped. Here's hoping he can keep it up in the post-season.

His game-winner took entirely too long to go into the net, though.

I so wanted to see Aaron Downey go with Jordin Tootoo. I understand why it didn't happen, balance of momentum and all that, but it would have been fun to see.

This hit by Dallas Drake on Rich Peverley kicked off a series of three notable hits in about 15 seconds, the next being Dan Hamhuis' hit on Aaron Downey. Downey went into the empty space between the benches, nearly taking out Larry Murphy.

This hit by Niklas Kronwall on Alexander Radulov was one of the highlights of the game. I love seeing him wreck people like that, but I also cringe at the sight as his injury history automatically comes to mind.

The win put the Wings within a point of clinching the President's Trophy. It would have been theirs last night had San Jose lost, but the Coyotes couldn't pull off the upset. If San Jose loses in regulation or extra time, or the Wings gain a single point in any of their three remaining games, Detroit clinches first place.

The Canucks leapfrogged Nashville last night after defeating Calgary 6-2 at home. The Predators are now one point out of the playoffs with 87. Edmonton is just two points behind Vancouver with two games remaining.

The Wings now have a couple days to rest up and prepare to face a Chicago team that's looking to make an improbable run at the playoffs Wednesday. The Hawks have two games against the Wings sandwiched around a game against the Predators to round out the season.

In injury news, the Freep reports that the team is waiting to see how Tomas Holmstrom feels after getting the cortisone shot on Friday. Evidently, he felt some pain Saturday, but the jury is still out on his status for the rest of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.

Also, Babcock told Helene St. James that Brad Stuart (broken finger) will be ready to go for the first round. I hope that means Game One.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: vs. Nashville Predators

Matt Saler — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:40:13 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings host the Nashville Predators this afternoon in the eighth and final meeting between the two Central Division teams this regular season.

The Wings hold a 4-3 edge over the Preds thus far in the series, with wins on November 7th (3-2 SO), December 10th (2-1), March 9 (4-3), and March 20th (6-3). The Predators won November 22nd (3-2), February 12th (4-2), and March 15th (3-1).

The Predators are 7-6-0 in March. They have won their last three, beginning with a 2-1 shootout win over Chicago on the 22nd and continuing with a pair of wins over Columbus on the 25th (3-0) and 28th (2-0).

Prior to that, they had lost two in a row, first to Washington, then to Detroit.

Nashville is currently in eighth place with 86 points through 78 games. Ninth-place and idle Vancouver also has 86 point through 78 and would move into eighth place with a Nashville regulation or overtime loss if they are able to beat the Flames tonight.

For the Predators, then, this game is especially important.

The Preds' remaining schedule consists of two games against St. Louis and a finale in Chicago.

Nashville will be without Darcy Hordichuk (knee), Greg de Vries (rib), David Legwand (foot), Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee), and Jed Ortmeyer (knee).

Dan Ellis will be in net tonight. He has shutout opponents for the last 170:18.

For the Preds' side of things, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

The Wings are 9-2-1 in March.

They are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis Friday night at home. They staged a thrid period comeback, but couldn't hold the Blues off in the extra period.

Prior to the loss, they had won four in a row. The two regulation losses came together on the 15th and 16th and halted the five-game winning streak with which they began the month.

Detroit occupies first place overall with 109 points in 78 games and has a five-point lead on the San Jose Sharks, who have also played 78.

The Sharks can max out at 112 points and 51 wins. Given that they are red-hot lately, that is not outside the realm of possibility. So, the Wings would need at least three more points, two of which must come from a win (112 points, but 52 wins), in order to clinch. Otherwise, a Red Wings win and a Sharks loss will clinch first place for Detroit.

The Wings will be without Mikael Samuelsson (groin) for the second consecutive game.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen, groin) remains out, but could be close to returning. He had a cortisone shot Friday and apparently zipped around practice yesterday wearing a no-contact sweater.

Brad Stuart (broken finger) remains out, but is keeping up his conditioning and should be back for the first round.

Darren McCarty will sit today in favor of Aaron Downey. Mark Hartigan also inexplicably remains in the lineup.

Over at A2Y, IwoCPO asks a legitimate question: "Answer me this: if Babcock’s trying to figure out if McCarty’s able to add something to the playoff mix, why is he out today and Hartigan in?"

Projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary
Hudler-Franzen-Filppula
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

Dominik Hasek will start today after sitting out with the flu. Chris Osgood will back him up.

For more of the Wings' perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

The Predators will go into this game knowing that they need a win to keep their grip on eighth place.

The Wings go in knowing they can't let the foot off the pedal with San Jose looking to finish their 12-0-2 month off with a win. They also know that they can't demonstrate weakness to a likely first round opponent.

A win here will be a key moral victory for both teams, so you can expect solid competition this afternoon.

Recap: Detroit Red Wings 3, St. Louis Blues 4 (OT)

Matt Saler — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:46:23 -0400

For once, I get to comment on the game from the perspective of actually being there:

... Megan and I got there in time to see warmups, though I spent most of them waiting in line for two $5 slices of pizza. $5 Hot-N-Ready apparently does not apply in the center of Illitch-dom.

... The Joe is old and small. The concourse is crampt and badly lit. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Certainly not one of the newer-style impersonal flashy arenas. There's nothing like literally rubbing shoulders with fellow Wings fans while surrounded by Red Wings memorabilia everywhere.

... There was a fairly large crowd already in their seats just after 7:00. Presumably, the big draw was Darren McCarty, who was going through warmups with the rest of his team.

... Semi-scary moment: when leaving the ice, Henrik Zetterberg got up a big head of steam as he headed toward the bench door and made a smooth transition from skating to running as he went through it. Why the heck he didn't just stop before the door, I don't know. Sure he's a professional athlete, but for a split second there, I was envisioning him wiping out horribly.

... When McCarty left the ice, he threw pucks in the crowd and dished out high-fives.

... When they announced the starting lineup, the cheers reached the expected level for all players not named Darren McCarty. At Mac's name, we gave him a standing ovation.

His first shift was disappointingly uneventful. He finished with 5:03 in TOI and wasn't very noticeable overall. He did have one glorious scoring chance, though. Had that gone in, the Joe would have exploded into the kind of joyous celebration normally reserved for championships.

... During the first period, I commented to Megan, "This has to qualify as a sellout." I'd say about 95% of the seats were full and I'm willing to bet the remainder were in the concourse. Of course, the numbers dwindled throughout the game, but for a little while, the Joe looked about as full as it did in the past.

... The Joe doesn't have one of those crowds that's incessantly cheering. Brief "Let's Go Red Wings" chants came up regularly, but generally, the crowd was pretty intent on watching the game. It was certainly demonstrative on any scoring chance, hit, exceptional move, and obvious penalty that happened to take place.

... The Blues surprised me. They weren't nearly as violent as I was sure they'd be, though they were pretty testy on occasion.

... The Wings' passing was out of sync all night. The puck was constantly going just out of reach, or bouncing off a stick like the receiver had cement hands.

... After the second, Christy Hammond came by to see us. She handed me the massive packet of stats the teams provide to the media, as well as a packet of press clippings. She was working the game and could be seen in the press box in the second.

... There were a couple of those failed scoring chances that cause physical pain for fans. The most memorable was Johan Franzen's missed slam dunk. The second I saw Henrik Zetterberg calmly drop the puck off to Franzen, I thought, "Goal." So did everyone else in the arena. Most of us actually got up and started cheering before the awful truth set in: despite having a half-empty net, he somehow failed to put it in.

Fortunately, he made up for it later with two goals, including one with a similarly empty net. But that missed one still pains me, even today.

Franzen's second pains me for a different reason: I yelled myself hoarse on that one.

... By the way, on the play leading to Johan's first, I would have sworn the puck was cleared. Kudos to Brian Rafalski for the effort and many thanks to the linesman for calling it in.

... That was about the only favor the officials did for the Wings last night. They were otherwise flat out awful. Two major blown calls really stood out.

The first was the mugging of Kirk Maltby from behind as he went to clear the puck while on the penalty kill. Both refs were looking right at it and neither thought anything of it. The crowd was pissed.

The second was a nasty slash to the stick of Pavel Datsyuk, just below his high hand. It broke the stick right out of Pavel's hands. He pointed at it with both hands and called to the official, but no call was made. After the play stopped later, Henrik Zetterberg picked up a piece of the stick and talked to the ref about it.

Earlier in the game, Pavel was called for, ironically enough, slashing on a play that, if it was anything (it wasn't) should have been called a trip.

... Megan and I both agree: Mark Hartigan had no business being on the ice last night. He was directly responsible for the Blues' first goal and indirectly so for their second.

On the first, he was trying to make a big hit at center and was caught out of position as the Blues carried in. Then, he floated back into the zone and watched as his man, the Blues' leading goal-scorer, Brad Boyes, skated into the slot and one-timed a Paul Kariya centering pass through a helpless Chris Osgood. You can see in the replay. Hartigan is completely useless.

On the second, he took a stupid penalty and made the Wings needlessly shorthanded. Zetterberg lost the face-off and the Blues promptly scored, four seconds after the penalty. As Hartigan left the box, I was yelling, "Bench him, Babcock!" Of course, he didn't. I don't know what the Wings see in the guy. He brought the Griffins down this season and now he's bringing the Wings down.

... I thought Tomas Kopecky had a bad game. He looked bewildered with the puck and the Blues took advantage of him a number of times. Maybe a game off would do him some good.

... When I saw Paul Kariya wheeling in the Wings' zone in overtime, I had an ominous feeling that quickly turned into a sick on as Boyes found the back of the net again.

... Anyone who's been to the Joe knows how the doors at the main entrance work: everyone who wants to take the crosswalk to the parking garage leaves through the right-side doors and everyone who wants to go down the stairs leaves through the left side doors. A massive traffic jam is thus created as we try to cross over to our side in the 10-15 feet between the doors and the staircase. Fun times.

... All in all, it was a fun experience, though of course we would have liked to have seen a win. It was well-worth the drive from Grand Rapids. Thanks again, Christy!

Links

Highlights

A2Y liveblog

Snapshots wrapup

NHL Tonight: Final Detroit Red Wings-St. Louis Blues Matchup of the Season

Matt Saler — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:30:37 -0400

Tonight is the second game of an extended home-and-home series between the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues. The Wings won the first half of the series, 2-1, on Tuesday.

This will be the eighth and final game between the two teams this season. The Wings have won four of the seven games already played.

The puck drops at 7:30 PM ET.

The Blues have been idle since Tuesday. They may see the return of Andy McDonald (foot) tonight. Martin Rucinsky (back) and Jay McKee (foot) are questionable, and Dan Hinote (side) and Mike Johnson (shoulder) are out.

Manny Legace should be in net tonight.

For the, uh, unique perspective of the average Blues fan, see St. Louis Game Time.

The Wings have also been idle since Tuesday.

Darren McCarty (ribs) is scheduled to make his return to the NHL tonight, after being out of the League for almost a year. It will be his first game as a Red Wing since the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals. With his return, Aaron Downey is a healthy scratch.

Dallas Drake (chest) may return, but he has to be cleared by the team medical staff first. The Wings will recognize Drake tonight for playing in his 1,000th NHL game on March 11th.

Valtteri Filppula (knee, groin) is apparently ready to go and is probable for tonight.

Mikael Samuelsson (groin) did not complete practice yesterday. No word on his status yet, but the Wings are likely to be cautious with him. So, he'll probably sit.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) is out.

Brad Stuart (broken finger) also remains out.

Projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary

Hudler-Franzen-Filppula

Kopecky-Draper-Maltby

Hartigan-Drake-McCarty

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski

Kronwall-Chelios

Lebda-Lilja

Dominik Hasek (flu) did not practice yesterday, but will play tonight if he can skate this morning. Otherwise, Chris Osgood will start and Jimmy Howard will back him up.

For more of the Wings perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

Tonight will be interesting. The return of McCarty should have the Joe rocking and should provide an emotional undercurrent that runs the risk of clashing with the Blues' more pugilistic tendencies.

Mac is likely to face a number of opportunities to stand up for his teammates as the Blues are certain to take liberties with the Wings in this their last opportunity to do so.

Here's hoping that if this game becomes a power play fest, the Wings tear St. Louis apart.

Again, thanks to Christy Hammond of Behind the Jersey, Megan and I will be at the game.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook: March 27

Matt Saler — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:46:24 -0400

Update (11:52 AM): Just after I publish, I see Bruce MacLeod's latest:

... Hasek did not practice today, so he must be out tomorrow. Jimmy Howard already made the drive down I-96 and practiced with the team this morning.

... Darren McCarty's debut is still on.

... Tomas Holmstrom "took a quick twirl," but didn't stay any longer than that.

... Valtteri Filppula stayed out there the whole time, though MacLeod casts doubt on his status for tomorrow night by saying "[he] might be back in the lineup soon."

... Lastly, the line combos from practice:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary
Hudler-Franzen-Filppula
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Hartigan-Drake-McCarty

Don't read too much into Drake's presence on the fourth unit. He practiced Monday as well, but didn't play Tuesday. There's still a chance he could sit out once again.

The defensive pairings haven't changed:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

- Matt

... The big news is that Darren McCarty will make his re-debut with the Wings tomorrow night against the Blues. It will be his first game in the Winged Wheel since May 3, 2004, and his first in the NHL in nearly a year. No word yet on who he'll be skating with, but don't expect a full-fledged reunion of the Grind Line. He probably won't be getting third line minutes.

Thanks to Christy Hammond at Behind the Jersey, who was kind enough to give me tickets, Megan and I will be at the game. No pressure Mac, but a repeat of your last home debut would be nice.

... Tim Miller, writing over at Bleacher Report, has a good take on the whole McCarty return. He provides some needed perspective on the situation. Referring to Friday, he writes,

A great game, and a great story, but one that a Red Wings fans should hope ends on April 6th when their top 12 forwards, including Holmstom and Flippula, are deemed healthy enough for the post-season. The lineup that has driven this team to the President’s Trophy and gives them the best shot at post-season success.

Miller goes on to cite McCarty's speed problem, his effective disappearance in Calgary, and the fact that he's returning from a rib injury, which he says is "not a the best injury to have for a grinder." Indeed.

I'm thrilled to see the success of Mac's comeback attempt, but I'm keeping my expectations low. I joked about his hat trick above, but I don't actually believe he can reproduce his AHL performance in the NHL. The question is whether or not he can fill a role on a team that is already very-well rounded. On one hand, I hope he can, but on the other, I'm with Miller. Mac is not going to be the one piece that puts the Wings over the edge because they already have all the pieces. If his addition does nothing more than give them the option of inserting him into the lineup, that's fine because it's really all they need.

... Helene St. James reports that Dominik Hasek (flu) is on antibiotics. If he can't practice today, the Wings will recall Jimmy Howard, who they sent back to Grand Rapids yesterday. Here's hoping the flu bug doesn't spread any further.

... Barring a setback in today's skate, Valtteri Filppula (knee, groin) is expected to return tomorrow night. Dallas Drake, on the other hand, is questionable with a bruised sternum.

With Fil and Mac in the lineup and Drake out, the lines should look something like this:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Franzen
Samuelsson-Zetterberg-Cleary
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
McCarty-Hudler-Downey

... The status of Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen/groin) for the remainder of the season is still unknown. The results of his tests should come out today.

... Ted Kulfan reports that Brad Stuart (broken finger) will start rehabilitation today or tomorrow. The goal is to have him back by Game 1 of the first round.

... The Wings will have an open practice on Saturday. The doors open at 11:00 AM and the skate starts at noon. If you bring new or used hockey equipment, you get in free. Otherwise, it's a $5 donation. The money and the equipment will go toward inner-city youth hockey programs.

... Ansar Khan has a nice piece on the possible Selke candidacies of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Arguments can be made for both players, who should finishe 1 and 2 in any case. However, I think Datsyuk's reputation as an offensive forward hurts him. It seems to me that his two-way ability is one of the best-kept secrets in Hockeytown. Zetterberg's two-way game is well-publicized and has been ever since he entered the League. Datsyuk, on the other hand, is only getting acclaim for his defensive play more recently.

Even I have a hard time imagining Pavel winning the Selke over Hank, but that may just be my homerism for #40 coming through.

... Over at Abel to Yzerman, IwoCPO suggests the Avs hire Patrick Roy as head coach after they fire Joel Quenneville. That would be ... interesting.

... Lastly, I can't let this pass without comment. The idea that Aaron Downey is a coward or classless is ridiculous. The guy has been the epitome of class all season and, by all accounts, is universally respected in the Wings' locker room. He has been very smart to pick his fights wisely and so it's no surprise to me that he turned down King Tuesday night. There's no law, written or unwritten, that says he has to answer every challenge. Downey's job is to spark his teammates with big hits and the occassional fight, not to allow himself to be goaded into dropping the gloves.

I'm sorry Blues fans, but if you're looking for someone to call a coward or classless, look to your own team. Downey is a much better man than, say, Barret Jackman, who was, is, and always will be, a donkey.

If Downey decides to drop the gloves in defense of his character tomorrow night, I fully expect to see him acquit himself well. If he choses to keep his gloves on, I'll certainly think no less of him.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: @ St. Louis

Matt Saler — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:21:39 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings are in St. Louis tonight for their seventh meeting with the Blues this season. The series stands tied at three, with the two teams alternating wins: St. Louis won November 13th (4-3), December 20th (3-2), and December 31st (2-0), and the Wings won November 21st (3-0), December 26th (5-0), and March 5th (4-1). The eighth and final meeting will be played on Friday in Detroit.

The puck drops at 8:30 ET.

The 30-33-12 Blues fell to 2-7-2 in the month of March with a 4-3 overtime loss in Chicago on Sunday. Their only wins in March came against LA on the 4th (3-2) and Montreal on the 18th (SO). The win over the Canadiens snapped a six-game losing streak that began with their loss to the Wings on the 5th. They returned to losing two days later with a 3-2 loss in Ottawa on Thursday.

The game in Chicago was the last of a nine-game road trip. Tonight is the Blues' first home-game since their March 4th win over the Kings.

The Blues' 72 points are good for 14th place in the West and 28th place overall. They are 14 points out of a playoff spot with seven games left.

Brad Boyes and Paul Kariya lead the Blues in points with 57 each. Keith Tkachuk is not far behind with 53. Boyes' 38 goals is a team high. Tkachuk (23) is the only other St. Louis player to crack 20 goals. Kariya's 42 assists lead the team by a 12-point margin over Tkachuk and Andy McDonald.

Andy McDonald (foot) is listed as probable. Martin Rucinsky (back) is doubtful. Jay McKee (foot), Dan Hinote (side), and Mike Johnson (shoulder) are out. (via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Manny Legace sat out Sunday's game with a "lower-body muscle strain," but practiced yesterday. It looks like he'll be the starter. He is 6-6-0 versus the Wings in his career.

For more on the Blues, see St. Louis Game Time.

The Wings improved to 8-2-0 in March with a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The game extended their current win streak to three games. Prior to that, they lost two in a row. A loss to the Predators (3-1) on the 15th cut short a five-game winning streak. They then lost the next day, 4-3 to Columbus. They returned to winning on the 19th with a 3-1 win over the Jackets. The next night, they doubled up the Predators, 6-3.

Tonight is the last of a three-game stretch of road games for the Wings. It hasn't been a continuous road trip, however. They returned to Detroit after playing in Columbus on Saturday.

The Wings (50-20-6) have a seven-point lead over San Jose for first place overall. The red-hot Sharks are in Phoenix tonight facing a team that has lost its last five.

Pavel Datsyuk leads the Wings in points with 90. Henrik Zetterberg is the leader in goals with 40. Johan Franzen is the hot stick, with ten goals in his last ten, bringing his total to 22.

The Wings are scheduled to see the return of Dan Cleary (broken jaw) to the lineup tonight. He has been out since taking a Mikael Samuelsson shot to the face on February 9th in Toronto. Cleary made a significant sacrifice in order to return this quickly. For more on that, see George Malik's post here.

Valtteri Filppula (sore knee, groin) will not return tonight, though a report over the weekend had left open the possibility. It doesn't look like he'll be back Friday, either.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) will not return after suffering a setback yesterday. He may not play Friday.

Darren McCarty could be back for the game Friday.

Projected lines (via MacLeod):

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Franzen-Cleary
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Chelios
Lebda-Lilja

Dominik Hasek is out with the flu and did not make the trip to St. Louis. Chris Osgood will start tonight. Jimmy Howard has been recalled to back him up.

This game will be another test of the Wings' concentration. The Blues are having a rough month and it would therefore be easy to write them off. However, they remain a talented and dangerous team, one that could easily chose tonight to come out of their tailspin. The fact that the Blues will be playing their first home-game in 22 days will provide extra motivation.

The Wings are going to have to be prepared for rough play, especially if they are in the lead. The Blues had the Blackhawks complaining after their game Sunday, though they denied any wrongdoing. I know who I believe, however. St. Louis' tendency to get goonish when behind dates at least from their Pronger and Quenneville days and makes them a dangerous team in more ways than one.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: @ Columbus

Matt Saler — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:58:53 -0400

Tonight is the seventh of eight meetings between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets this season and the third in the past week. The series stands tied at three, with the Wings winning November 9th (4-1), November 18th (5-4 SO), and March 19th (3-1), and the Jackets winning November 24th (3-2 OT), February 15th (5-1), and March 16 (4-3). The final game will be played on April 3rd in Detroit.

The game is on FSN Plus tonight, not FSN Detroit. If you don't know what channel that is, see this list.

The Jackets have not played since losing to the Wings on Wednesday. The loss dropped them to 3-3-2 in March.

They are in 13th place in the West, seven points behind the eighth seed with only eight games remaining.

Columbus lost two players Wednesday night: Dan Fritsche's left hand was broken by a shot and Jared Boll suffered a hip pointer when he missed Tomas Holmstrom and hit his teammate Fredrik Modin instead. Fritsche will miss the rest of the season. Boll is 3-4 days from returning to the ice.

The Jackets will also be without Pascal Leclaire, who is still suffering the effects of the concussion a teammate gave him prior to the game on Sunday. Defenseman Kris Russell (groin) could return tonight, apparently. David Vyborny (sprained knee) may participate in the morning skate, but it doesn't sound like he'll play.

Lines from practice yesterday (via Puck-Rakers):

Nash -- Malhotra -- Modin
Chimera -- Peca -- Brule
Murray -- Novotny -- Zherdev
Picard -- MacKenzie -- Lindstrom

With Leclaire still out, Fredrik Norrena will get the start.

For the Jackets' perspective, see John Arvai at Bleacher Report (Light the Lamp) Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings improved to 7-2-0 in March with their 6-3 win over Nashville on Thursday. It was a slightly more competitive game than the score indicates, with the Wings blowing a lead in the third period only to pull away again in the end. In that sense it was a messy win, but probably a confidence building one, as they were able to overcome the Preds' third period push.

With San Jose's 2-1 win over Anaheim last night, the Wings' seven-point lead decreased to five with seven games remaining for both teams.

The Wings could see the return of Kris Draper (groin tear) tonight. He centered the third line this morning, according to Bruce MacLeod.

Dan Cleary will not return today after all, having decided to wait until he has the wires removed from his jaw. He could return as soon as Tuesday, but no later than Friday.

Valtteri Filppula (knee, groin) is out until Friday.

It's looking like Darren McCarty (ribs) could play Friday as well.

According to Ken Holland, Tomas Holmstrom (abdomen) is getting closer and could be back soon, but not today.

Projected lines (via MacLeod)

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Franzen-Kopecky
Hartigan-Draper-Maltby
Meech-Helm-Downey

MacLeod reports that Dallas Drake did not take part in the morning skate, which could indicate an injury. However, if Drake was just given the practice off and is able to play, Derek Meech is the likely scratch.

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Lilja
Lebda-Chelios

Dominik Hasek will be the starter.

For more of the Wings' perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown. OklahomaWingNut's GDT is here.

This is another key game for the Wings, who need to keep winning in order to hold off the red-hot San Jose Sharks. At this point in the season, losing first place overall would be a morale killer, especially given the fact that they'd have to lose to Central Division teams to do it.

The emphasis today needs to be on scoring the first goal and playing a complete game.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: @ Nashville

Matt Saler — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:00:44 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings are in Nashville tonight to play the Predators for the 7th time this season. The series is tied 3-3, with the Wings winning the November 7th (3-2 SO), December 10th (2-1), and March 9 (4-3) meetings. The Predators won November 22nd (3-2), February 12th (4-2) and March 15th (3-1). The 8th and final game between the two Central Division teams will be played on March 30th in Detroit.

The puck drops at 8:00 ET.

Nashville is 4-5-0 in March. They began the month with a pair of wins, but went 1-1 over their next two. They then dropped three straight, beginning with the loss to Detroit on the 9th. Their March 15th win over the Wings cut that skid short, but they returned to losing on Tuesday with a loss to Washington.

The Predators are four point behind the 8th place team in the West, Colorado, but would need five to pass the Avs.

JP Dumont leads the team in goals with 28, but Jason Arnott is not far behind with 26. Alexander Radulov (24) and Martin Erat (22) also have cracked the 20-goal barrier.

The Tennessean lists David Legwand (foot), Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee) and Jed Ortmeyer (knee) as out.

It looks like Dan Ellis is the expected starter.

For the Predators’ perspective, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

The Wings improved to 6-2-0 in March with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. I missed most of the game because I was watching the Grand Rapids Griffins lose 2-1 to the Toronto Marlies, but I made it back in time to see Henrik Zetterberg score the second of his three goals. From what I saw, the Wings looked pretty good in the third, but from what I read (here and here), it wasn't so pretty in the first and second.

The strong third was sparked by the reunion of Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, with the former first tying the game at one, then putting the Wings ahead a goal, and finally extending the lead. Hank's third goal came came 35 seconds after his second and prompted the usual shower of hats. And glasses, which were picked up by Chris Osgood. With the win, the Wings tied the season series at 3 apiece.

Because the San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout last night, the Wings still have only a five-point lead in the League.

Zetterberg's goals were his 37th, 38th, and 39th of the season, the team high. Pavel Datsyuk (28) and Johan Franzen (20) are the only two active Wings to have cracked 20 goals.

The Wings will be without 20-goal scorer Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) for the 7th game.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) has been out since being injured on February 9th. He's expected back soon however.

Kris Draper (groin) is unlikely to play tonight, though he could return Saturday.

Valtteri Filppula sat out against the Jackets with a sore groin (or is it a sore knee?) and is likely to sit again tonight. He had played a team-high 132 consecutive games prior to last night's game.

Projected lines:

Hudler-Datsyuk-Samuelsson
Franzen-Zetterberg-Kopecky
Draper-Hartigan-Drake
Meech-Helm-Downey

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Chelios-Lilja

Dominik Hasek will be in net tonight for the Wings.

For more of the Wings’ perspective, see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, BR Red Wings, and Winging It In Motown.

This is another key game for the Wings, who will be facing a highly-motivated and skilled Predators team that had last night off. They will need to have a better start than they had against the Jackets or they stand a good chance of finding themselves in a deep hole before long. This is their chance to exact some revenge for Saturday's loss to the Preds and if they can pick up where they left off in the third last night, they stand a good chance of pulling out a road win.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: Columbus

Matt Saler — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:30 -0400

Update (2:08 PM): George Sipple has it from Ken Holland: Valtteri Filppula will sit tonight and probably tomorrow with a sore groin. The injury is not believed to be as bad as Draper's.

Draper, by the way, is now looking to return Saturday instead of tomorrow night. His skate today wasn't quite as good as he'd hoped.

New projected lines:

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Hudler-Franzen-Kopecky
Draper-Helm-Drake
Meech-Hartigan-Downey

I erroneously included Holmstrom in my projected lines below. Sorry about that. An early morning gaffe. - Matt

Update (12:58 PM): The official blog reports that Meech will play on the left wing. There is still no word on who will sit.

I wonder why the team didn't just call up Mattias Ritola if they need another forward. It could just mean this is a move to give a regular rest rather than one to cover for an injury. If it's this is just an effort to get Meech playing time, it's an odd way to do it. - Matt

Updated (12:39 PM): Bruce MacLeod reports that Derek Meech will play forward tonight. You read that right. It'll be the first time in his NHL career that he's moved to the front.

MacLeod also says that Aaron Downey and Darren Helm will play, which, together with the Meech news, means there is another forward injured or in need of rest, though the team would not specify who. My guess? Henrik Zetterberg.

Also, Brett Lebda and Chris Chelios will comprise the third pairing, which makes Andreas Lilja tonight's healthy scratch.

Lastly, Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) is still having trouble with "straight-ahead skating," though he did participate in battle drills. Expect him back Saturday at the earliest. - Matt

Update (12:20 PM): Thanks to Bethany of Bethany's Hockey Rants for leaving this clarification on Picard's status in the comments:

Picard hasn’t been called up, so he definitely won’t be in the lineup.

- Matt

Update (10:11 AM): Jeff (OklahomaWingNut) has posted his GDT here. - Matt

Update (10:08 AM): A minor update to the list of injured Blue Jackets: the Columbus Dispatch does not include Alexandre Picard, so presumably he is a possible for tonight.

Also, the Dispatch confirms that Norrena will start. - Matt

Update (9:17 AM): Helene St. James has now backed up her characterization of the third pairing roster battle with a quote from Babcock that came as a direct response to the question of Chris Chelios' status:

""You can speculate all you want. I just went through it:There's three guys, and there's two jobs."

So, Chelios isn't a lock for a spot after all. That's technically true for everyone on the team under Babcock's "you have to earn it" standard, though the threshold for being scratched is obviously lower for some players than for others. It's hard for me to imagine Chelios not earning "it," however, so that spot's pretty much as good as his.

A further Chelios-related note: George Malik points out that there is some question as to whether#24 will be in the lineup tonight, given the fact that team policy has been to avoid playing veterans in consecutive games. So, it's possible we could see a slightly different third pairing. - Matt

The Detroit Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight in the sixth meeting between the two teams this season. Columbus leads the series 3-2, with wins November 24th (3-2 OT), February 15th (5-1), and March 16 (4-3). Detroit won the November 9th (4-1) and November 18th (5-4 SO). Tonight's game is the second of three between the Wings and the Blue Jackets this week. They face off again Saturday in Columbus.

The puck drops at 7:30 ET.

Columbus is 3-2-2 in March thus far. They began the month on a 0-1-2 skid, but turned it around somewhat with a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on the 9th. They lost on the 14h to Chicago, 6-3, but have won both of their games since, beginning with Sunday's 4-3 decision over the Wings. They shut out the Flames last night en route to a 3-0 victory, earning revenge for a 1-0 loss on the 4th.

The Jackets are currently in 11th place in the West, 7 points behind 8th place Colorado. They have only a slim chance of making the playoffs, if they have any at all.

Rick Nash is the Jackets' point and goals leader with 64 and 37, respectively. Nikolai Zherdev's 58 points is good for second on the team, as are his 25 goals. Nash and Zherdev are the only two Jackets to crack the 20-goal barrier. Only Jason Chimera (14), Manny Malholtra (10), and Dan Fritsche (10) have reached double-digit goal totals.

Columbus will be without Fredrik Modin (flu), who did not make the trip to Detroit. The Freep lists David Vyborny (knee) as questionable and Alexandre Picard (knee) as out.

With Pascal Leclaire out with a concussion suffered Sunday in the pre-game warm-up, Fredrik Norrena should get the start tonight.Given the Jackets' need for wins, it seems doubtful AHLer Dan LaCosta would play.

For the Jackets' perspective, see John Arvai at Bleacher Report, Better on Ice, The Jacket Times, Army of the Ohio, End of the Bench, Neutral Zone Trap, and Bethany’s Hockey Rants.

The Wings fell to 5-2-0 with their second consecutive loss Sunday afternoon in Columbus. The day before, they dropped a home game to Nashville, 3-1. The five-game win-streak with which they started the month marked a turnaround from a 4-8-2 February. They are two games into an 11-game stretch in which they will only play Central Division teams. Tonight is the first of a back-to-back that will see them in Nashville tomorrow.

The Wings clinched the Central Division and a playoff berth on the 13th with a 5-3 win over Dallas. That in part explains their subsequent lapse over the two games since: they've taken their foot off the pedal.

Pavel Datsyuk is the Wings' point leader with 84. 19 of those points came over the past 19 games.

Henrik Zetterberg is the goals leader with 36, but he has not scored in seven. It seems he's being bothered by his back or wrist. We can expect to see him rested soon.

Johan Franzen has had the hot stick lately, with eight goals in his past seven. He became the fifth Red Wing this season to break the 20-goal barrier with his second of the game Sunday and is warming up nicely for the post-season.

The Wings will be without Kris Draper (groin tear) tonight. The team called up Darren Helm to fill in if deemed necessary.

Tomas Holmstrom (abdomin) will also sit out.

Aaron Downey (flu) is able to return, though it's possible he could be a scratch in favor of Helm.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Kopecky-Drake
Helm-Hudler-Downey

That's right. No Mark Hartigan. Wishful thinking, probably.

Projected pairings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Chelios-Lilja

It's possible Babcock will mix up the top four again, putting Rafalski with Stuart and Kronwall with Lidstrom.

Chris Osgood will get the start tonight. Dominik Hasek will play tomorrow.

This is a key game for the Wings. Their lead over San Jose has dwindled to just five points and at this stage in the season, losing 1st place would be a bit of a letdown after all their hard work to this point. They need to elevate their play in preparation for the playoffs, rather than allow themselves to become bored by the meaningless nature of these last games. The highly-motivated Columbus Blue Jackets provide a good opportunity to return to form and to work on weaknesses.

Detroit Red Wings Notebook: March 18, 2008

Matt Saler — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:51:29 -0400

Update (2:40 PM): Helene St. James has a couple further details:

Draper apparently felt good after skating today. That seems to indicate that the Helm recall is more of an extra caution than a necessity.

Holmstrom, on the other hand, is "still shying away from hard stops and starts." So it's no surprise that Mike Babcock is holding him out of this week's games, despite Tomas' hopes for return.

Also, St. James reports that Babcock will finalize the defense by the last three or four games of the regular season. She characterizes the contest for the third pairing as a three-way one between Chris Chelios, Andreas Lilja, and Brett Lebda for the two spots. However, I think it's safe to say that Chelios is a lock, so it's more likely to be a two-way battle for the sixth spot.

I suspect that, when it comes down to it, Lilja's penalty killing and shot-blocking ability will earn him that final spot at Lebda's expense.

In related note, I'm a little surprised Derek Meech is apparently out of the equation, but it seems his chance to become a regular this season has passed. - Matt

Ansar Khan reports that the Wings have recalled Darren Helm from Grand Rapids because Kris Draper (groin tear) is not ready to return Wednesday after all. Draper is a "maybe" for Thursday night, depending on how he feels after practice tomorrow.

Helm was just returned to the Griffins yesterday along with Mattias Ritola.

Khan also says Tomas Holmstrom (abdominal strain) is eager to return, but he is not likely to play until after this week. The team is being cautious, as it can afford to do at this stage in the season. They need #96 for the playoffs, not for these last intradivisional games.

Lastly, Khan provides info on the starting goaltenders for the next two games: Chris Osgood will get the nod against Columbus tomorrow night and Dominik Hasek will be the man Thursday night in Nashville.

Red Wings Notes: Mattias Ritola, Darren Helm Return to Grand Rapids

Matt Saler — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:11:52 -0400

Update (11:17 PM): I was wrong about Holmstrom.

Bruce MacLeod reports that Kris Draper is a “maybe” for Wednesday, while neither Tomas Holmstrom nor Darren McCarty are expected to be ready. Downey, however, is able to return.

If Draper (or Holmstrom or McCarty) is not able to make it back, the team will recall Mattias Ritola or Darren Helm.

According to Griffinshockey.com, the Wings have returned Mattias Ritola and Darren Helm to Grand Rapids.

As pointed out by George Malik, that should mean two of the following will be back Wednesday night: Aaron Downey (flu), Tomas Holmstrom (abdominal/groin), Kris Draper (groin tear), and Darren McCarty (ribs).

My guess? It'll be Downey (who should be over his flu) and Holmstrom (whose injury seemed less severe than Draper's). That would make the forward corps look like this:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Kopecky-Drake
Hartigan-Hudler-Downey

Of course, that's just speculation. It's also possible that McCarty could make his return debut at the expense of Downey, though I'd be surprised if Draper plays.

Blue Jackets-Red Wings: Not Detroit's Best

Matt Saler — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:26:27 -0400

Well, I'm back from my break. It turns out I wasn't as cut off from the Internet as I thought I might be, so I'm not completely out of the loop.

Still, I didn't have time to blog. Thanks to Sarah for posting on the Mattias Ritola call-up.

I missed the Blackhawks and Predators games, but caught the two against the Stars and the Blue Jackets. Neither were the Wings' best.

Against Dallas, if it hadn't been for Pavel Datsyuk and a monumental Stars' meltdown, their win streak would have ended at four.

Yesterday in Columbus, though the Wings out-shot the Jackets 46-17, they were out-hustled from the drop of the puck to the final horn.

Columbus refused to let up and played a gutsy game with a very aggressive forecheck and a whole-sale shot-blocking mindset. By the time the Wings started taking the game seriously, they were already in a hole against a team that was earning its breaks.

Obviously, the Jackets didn't play great or they wouldn't have been outshot by such a wide margin. Still, their efforts easily doubled that of the Wings, in my opinion.

I couldn't help but wish Mike Babcock had pulled Dominik Hasek after the Jackets went up 2-0. At that point, it was becoming clear that it wasn't Dom's day.

A change may have lit a fire under the skaters' collective rear ends. I don't really blame Dom for the four goals, though it would have been nice if he'd stopped that first one.

By the way, it's painful to see Dallas Drake just miss pokechecking the puck away from Rick Nash on the replay of that one. Another inch or two and we might have had a different game.

It was interesting to see Babcock mix up the top four yesterday, and by interesting I mean I'm mystified by his reasoning.

Brad Stuart is just getting used to Niklas Kronwall. Why break such a new pairing up? Stuart's certainly not hurt by playing with Nick Lidstrom, but I don't know that Brian Rafalski and Kronwall comprise the best second unit.

After all, they are the two most offensively-minded defensemen on the team and aren't as defensively responsible. It's my opinion that Lidstrom and Rafalski belong together, while the Stuart/Kronwall pairing should be allowed to continue to gain familiarity.

Those units have the right balance of offensive flair and defensive responsibility.

It's great to see Johan Franzen take off at this stage in the season. Here's hoping it carries over to the playoffs.

I thought Henrik Zetterberg had a higher profile than Datsyuk yesterday. Of the games I've seen recently, it's been the other way around.

With Jarrett Boll throwing his body around with impunity yesterday, I was wishing Aaron Downey had been in the lineup.

The comeback attempt was solid, but, pessimist that I am, I never really believed they'd complete it.

I was thinking it could happen after the Tomas Kopecky goal, but the Nikolai Zherdev tally killed it for me. They came close toward the end, but it was one of those games where they weren't going to get any breaks.

The team has today off and can turn their attention to exacting revenge upon the Blue Jackets Wednesday night.

Highlights

Red Wings-Predators: Detroit Beats Nashville 4-3

Matt Saler — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:55:05 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings held off a Nashville Predator comeback bid in the third period on their way to a 4-3 win at Joe Louis Arena. It was their third win in a row.

Just a few thoughts on the game...

1. Despite the fact that he notched two assists, Nick Lidstrom looked a little rusty in his return. I'm thinking specifically of his uncharacteristic stumble which led to him being forced to take a penalty at 9:23 in the third. Overall, he looked himself. There were just some moments where you could tell he'd missed time.

He finished with 24:34 in TOI, second to Brian Rafalski's 25:34. Nick is expected to play tomorrow against the Blackhawks.

2. It was nice to finally see Jiri Hudler break out of that horrendous slump. Hopefully he can keep it up now.

3. I was surprised to learn that it was Johan Franzen's first multi-goal game. He's now scored in three consecutive games and is warming up from the playoffs. He filled in for Tomas Holmstrom quite well, I thought.

Holmstrom, by the way, is having an MRI done on his groin today and will not play tomorrow.

4. Jonathan Ericsson rather than Derek Meech played for Brett Lebda. I hardly noticed the big Swede all game. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that he only played 10:18.

5. Niklas Kronwall has played like a new man since his return from that freak injury. It's obvious that he can be scary good if he can only stay healthy. Assuming he can fully break his habit of missing half the season, I would not be surprised to see him win a couple Norris Trophies down the road. His play on Hudler's goal was just great.

6. Brad Stuart scored his first goal as a Red Wing on a nice wrap-around effort. I'm still trying to figure out what he was doing so low during a 4-on-4. You can see him taking the open right wing from the point down to the goalline in the replay. Solid offensive instincts, I guess.

7. Now, about the nearly-blown lead. The Preds' first goal was just a bomb by Shea Weber through a crowd. Obviously, you'd prefer to see Dominik Hasek stop that, but it's no big deal. On the second goal, the coverage ideally would have been better on the left wing man and you'd like to see Hasek control the rebound. Still, it was a nice play by the Predators.

It's the third goal that I have a problem with. I had just noticed Jordin Tootoo's presence on the ice in the final stretch of the game and thought it odd. The next thing I know, he's pounding home the puck on a flurry in front of the net. Nick Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg are right there. How does Jordin Tootoo gain position on two of the best defensive players in hockey?

8. After the Tootoo goal, I had to think, "we could actually lose this thing." Fortunately, the Wings realized that too, and did a good job of keeping the puck out of their end in the final minute. Still, the damage had been done. What could have been a decent-if-problematic win was tarnished by an all-too-successful Predators comeback bid.

9. It's obvious that even with the return of Lidstrom, the team has not ironed out all the kinks. Even before the Predators' strong third, the Wings didn't play their best at even strength. Their lead was the product of the Preds' penchant for taking penalties (many of which were deserved, by the way, though not all). Had the game not been a penalty-fest, the result may have been different.

The Predators were weak offensively through the second period, but it's hard to blame them as they spent large swaths of the first period down a man and were playing from behind the whole second as the Wings pressed home the attack. Once the Wings let off the gas in the third, the Predators were pretty easily able to stage a comeback bid. The hole they had dug just turned out to be too deep to climb out of in time.

10. This was one of those wins that, for me at least, feel something like a loss. A 4-0 final may have been somewhat misleading, but the first and second period seemed to mark a near return to the team's efficient play of October through January. A 4-3 final just shows that the team still has some issues to work out.

Red Wings-Predators: Detroit GameDay

Matt Saler — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:41:06 -0400

The Detroit Red Wings host the Nashville Predators this afternoon in what could be a preview of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The puck drops at 3:00 ET.

It is the fifth meeting between these two teams this season. The Wings won November 7th (3-2 SO) and December 10th (2-1). The Predators won November 22nd (3-2) and February 12th (4-2).

The teams meet again on March 15th, 20th, and 30th to wrap up the eight game regular season series.

Nashville (35-26-8) began March with a 3-1 win in Dallas. The win snapped a three-game skid that began in the final week of February. They also won their next game, a 5-1 decision over Edmonton on the 4th. They then lost two nights later in Vancouver, 6-2. On the 7th, they defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime.

Today's game is the last of a six-game road trip that began in Buffalo on the 27th with an 8-4 loss.

With the Canucks' 4-2 win over St. Louis last night, the Predators fell from eighth to ninth place in the Conference. A point today, though, would put them right back in the playoffs.

Jason Arnott leads the Predators with 63 points. JP Dumont is not far behind with 68.

Arnott's 39 assists are a team best. Dumont (36) and Marek Zidlicky (35) are the other big assist men. Alexander Radulov, Martin Erat, and David Legwand each have 29 helpers.

Dumont is the leading goal-scorer with 26. Arnott and Radulov both have 24. Martin Erat is the only other Nashville 20-goal scorer. Dumont has three goals over his past four games, including the overtime game-winner in Calgary.

The Tennessean lists Steve Sullivan (back), Martin Gelinas (knee) and Jed Ortmeyer (knee) as out. David Legwand is questionable with a foot injury suffered in Calgary.

Dan Ellis should get the start today.

For the Predators' perspective, see Pred-Joe and On the Forecheck.

Detroit (44-18-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win in Buffalo on March 2nd. The win was just their second in 11 games. They went on three nights later to defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 at home.

That game kicked off a five-game homestand that continues this afternoon.

With Dallas' 3-1 loss in Colorado yesterday, the Wings maintain their seven-point lead over the League. They have three games in hand on the Stars, who play the Avalanche again today at home.

Pavel Datsyuk is the leading scorer with 78 points. Henrik Zetterberg is not far behind with 76. Datsyuk has at least a point in each of his last five games.

Datsyuk's 53 points are a team best. Nick Lidstrom's 50 good for second.

Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 36. Datsyuk has netted 25. Dan Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom, neither of whom are active today, both have 20.

The Wings will be without Holmstrom (groin/abdomen) today. Mark Hartigan will fill in as a result.

Chris Chelios (right leg, bone chip) is also out.

Brett Lebda (illness) did not practice yesterday and will not play. Either Jonathan Ericsson or Derek Meech will fill in for him. My guess is Meech, who sat out the St. Louis game in favor of Ericsson.

Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) is expected to return, though the Freep lists him as questionable. The decision will be made following the pre-game skate.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Hudler
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Draper-Kopecky
Drake-Hartigan-Downey

Projected parings:

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Meech-Lilja

Dominik Hasek should get the start.

For more of the Wings' perspective see Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, and Winging It In Motown. Jeff (aka OklahomaWingNut) has his GDT up.

This is an important game for the Wings, who need to continue to improve their play as they see players return from injuries.

The Predators are having a solid month so far and are fighting for a playoff spot. You can bet that they will come out hard and will do what they think it takes to win.

The Wings are going to have to compete with both Nashville's physicality and skill, something they are more than capable of doing as long as their heads are in it.

Detroit Red Wings: Injuries as of March 7th

Matt Saler — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:10:18 -0500

Bruce MacLeod has the latest from the Joe:

Nick Lidstrom (knee) participated in battle drills today and is headed for a Sunday return. The team will finalize his status on Saturday after practice.

Chris Chelios (bone chip, right leg) is feeling better and hopes to be ready to play against Nashville. However, MacLeod says it's unlikely he'll dress and that the better bet is that he'll return Tuesday.

Darren McCarty is in town, but only to undergo treatment for a rib injury he suffered Sunday. He played through it Wednesday night, but must have aggravated it during that game. MacLeod says he may play for the Griffins Saturday night. He'll be back in Detroit on Monday, as his conditioning stint will be over.

Valtteri Filppula apparently has a leg injury that kept him out of practice. Mike Babcock said he'll be okay for Sunday, though. If not, we'll see Mark Hartigan in the lineup.

Tomas Kopecky skated and suffered no ill effects from the big hit he took late in the game Wednesday night.

Detroit Red Wings GameDay: vs. St. Louis

Matt Saler — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:10:54 -0500

Update (12:59 PM): Helene St. James has an update on the three remaining injured Red Wings:

First, Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) " is all but sure to play Sunday." Great news.

Second, Chris Chelios (bone chip, right leg) has not progressed and is still out indefinitely.

Third, Dan Cleary (broken jaw) has had his return moved up. Now they're looking to have him back by the end of March, which is a tad ahead of schedule. The Wings play on the 28th (Blues) and the 30th (Predators). Cleary could be back for either or both of those games, including the three in April. - Matt

Update (10:15 AM): OklahomaWingNut has posted his GDT. - Matt

Tonight is the sixth of eight games between the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues this season. The Blues lead the series 3-2 with wins November 13th (4-3), December 20th (3-2), and December 31st. The Wings won the November 21st (3-0) and December 26th (5-0) meetings. The teams will face each other once more on the 25th and 28th in a home-home series beginning in St. Louis.

The puck drops at 7:30 ET.

The 29-27-10 Blues finished February 5-7-3 and hit March on a five-game losing streak. That streak continued with a 2-0 loss to the visiting San Jose Sharks on March 1st. They won on Tuesday night, however, posting a 3-2 decision over the LA Kings at home.

Tonight's game kicks off a nine-stop road trip for the Blues, who will head to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, San Jose, Anaheim, Montreal, Ottawa, and Chicago before returning home to face the Wings on the 25th. As the St. Louis Dispatch points out, that's a lot of miles: 8,718 or so.

The Blues' 68 points are good for 13th place in the Conference. Their chances of making the playoffs are slim.

Paul Kariya is the team leader in points with 52. His 37 assists are also a team best. Brad Boyes, who signed a four-year contract extension earlier this week, leads the Blues in goals with 32. Keith Tkachuk is the only other Blue to crack 20 goals with 21.

According to the Dispatch, Dan Hinote (hip) and Mike Johnson (shoulder) are out. Cam Janssen and Jay McClement were healthy scratches Tuesday night.

Manny Legace should be in net tonight for the Blues. He has posted a 2.28 GAA and a .914 save-percentage this season.

For the Blues' perspective, see St. Louis Game Time.

The Wings finished 4-8-2 and headed in to March on a four-game losing streak. They halted that particular skid with a 4-2 win over the Sabres in Buffalo Sunday evening.

Tonight is the first of a five-game homestand in which the Wings will host the Predators (twice), Blackhawks, and Stars before hitting the road to face the Blue Jackets in Columbus on the 16th.

The Wings' 92 points are good for first in the League. The Dallas Stars are just five points behind them, but the Wings have two games in hand.

Pavel Datsyuk took over sole possession of the points leader spot on the Wings by notching his 76th of the season on his team-leading 53rd assist. Henrik Zetterberg's 36 goals are a team best and his 75 points are good for second. Datsyuk (23) and Tomas Holmstrom (20) are the only other active Red Wings to have cracked the 20-goal barrier.

Barring a setback during the morning skate, the team will have Brian Rafalski (groin) back tonight. He missed the last eight games.

Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) remains out, but it's possible he could return Sunday against Nashville.

Chris Chelios (bone chip, right leg) also remains out, but is apparently feeling better.

20-goal-scorer Dan Cleary (broken jaw) is out. He is skating, but is not expected to return to the lineup until April.

Despite the return of Brian Rafalski, the Wings have elected to keep Jonathan Ericsson in town. Mike Babcock told Bruce MacLeod yesterday that the young Swede would play tonight, which means a regular will sit.

My guess is Brett Lebda, who has had something of a rough time adjusting to increased minutes in the absence of Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Chelios, and Rafalski. Also possible is Andreas Lilja, but I thought his performance Sunday was solid enough to avoid being scratched.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Draper-Kopecky
Drake-Hudler-Downey

Projected pairings:

Kronwall-Stuart
Meech-Rafalski
Ericsson-Lilja

Dominik Hasek is the starter for Detroit.

This is an important game for the Wings. They took a strong first step in getting back on track Sunday with their win over Buffalo. They need to continue to head in the right direction with a stronger performance tonight. The return of Brian Rafalski should provide a boost to the forwards, who will benefit from his passing skill.

The Blues always play the Wings hard, so I expect a pretty tight game. If the Wings really are on the upswing, though, they should be able to pull out a win.

Detroit Red Wings: 3/4 Injuries Update

Matt Saler — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:23:52 -0500

Update (5:40 PM): Bruce MacLeod has more now that practice is over.

It looks like Lidstrom could be back as soon as Sunday against Nashville.

Chris Chelios is feeling better and could be returning soon as well.

Brian Rafalski will play tomorrow barring a setback at the morning skate.

Now for the surprise: Jonathan Ericsson will play tomorrow, even if Rafalski does, Babcock told MacLeod. No word on who will sit in Ericsson's place, but my guess is Brett Lebda. He could use a kick in the pants and I wouldn't be surprised if Babcock gives him one here. I don't see Andreas Lilja getting scratched because he looked strong Sunday in Buffalo, in my opinion.

Lastly, Dominik Hasek will start tomorrow night against the Blues. It'll be his third consecutive start. - Matt

Bruce MacLeod has posted a practice update, noting that Nick Lidstrom (sprained knee) skated for the first time since sustaining his injury.

Lidstrom and Chris Chelios participated in non-contact drills and then left the ice. As MacLeod points out, it's good news that they're skating even if they can't yet participate in a whole practice.

With today marking his first time back on the ice, Lidstrom is a little behind schedule—reports early last week predicted he'd be skating by the weekend.

However, there's no indication that he won't be back in a week or so. That's a little over the original estimate, but pretty good considering what his recovery time might have been.

Also, Brian Rafalski (groin) is still scheduled to return tomorrow and participated in practice. In case he has a setback, though, the team has kept Jonathan Ericsson in town.

Lastly, Dan Cleary (broken jaw) skated again, with a full mask protecting his face. In other news, he and the Wings have agreed on contract length: five years. Still no agreement as to amount.

Red Wings-Sabres: Detroit Drops Buffalo 4-2

Matt Saler — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:37:01 -0500

The Detroit Red Wings halted a four-game skid last night in Buffalo, winning 4-2 off goals from unlikely sources. It was just their second win in 12 games.

Dallas Drake and Kirk Maltby cracked 14- and 36-game goalless streaks, adding to a pair of tallies from more usual goal-scorers, Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula.

The win extended the Wings' Conference and League lead over the idle Dallas Stars from three to five points, but used up one of their games-in-hand. They now have played 67 games to the Stars' 69.

The Wings showed jump from the start of the game, but they fell behind quickly as the Sabres took advantage of an unfortunate bounce in their own end and took it the other way.

Derek Meech missed a bouncing puck along the boards as he pinched on the left side. This resulted in a 3-on-1 with Andreas Lilja as the only Red Wing back. Meech, to his credit, caught up with the play and took the right wing Sabre out of the play, while Lilja attempted to take away the pass.

Maxim Afinogenov's centering pass bounced off Lilja, and the trailing man, Patrick Kaleta, picked it up in the high slot. Dominik Hasek fell, and Kaleta's shot made it 1-0 Buffalo at 2:59.

Following the goal, the Wings put out a strong offensive effort. At the other end, Hasek looked somewhat skittish, but that gradually wore off as he settled down.

At 8:00, Johan Franzen walked into the Sabres' zone virtually untouched and promptly lost the puck in surprise. He drew a weak penalty, however, and put the Wings on the power play. At 9:16, Derek Roy deservedly was called for holding and the Wings were given a two-man advantage. They made good use of the extra ice, making Ryan Miller have to work to keep the score 1-0. In the end, the score remained the same. For all their cycling, the Wings weren't getting effective screens on Miller, who was absorbing the puck and not allowing rebounds.

The Wings got on the board at 11:56 off a fortunate bounce of their own. Niklas Kronwall made a great play the blue line, maneuvering around Steve Bernier and faking a shot. He then skated up the left wing and sent a pass across the crease to Dallas Drake, who was robbed by Miller on the one-timer. This time, however, Miller gave up a rebound and the puck bounced into the net off one of his own defensemen. Tied game.

The Wings took the lead at 5:11 of the second period while on the power play. It began with a nice pinch by Derek Meech that kept the puck in the zone. Johan Franzen picked it up and sent it down to Jiri Hudler at the bottom of the right circle. Hudler hesitated for a split second before sending a hard pass back out to Valtteri Filppula to Miller's right. Fil had an easy time of it redirecting the puck into the net.

Detroit extended their lead at 14:16. Henrik Zetterberg lead a rush up the middle and gave the puck off the Mikael Samuelsson. Samuelsson dropped it off at the blue line to Niklas Kronwall, who made a beautiful shot fake in the process of sending the puck to Johan Franzen. Miller was completely fooled and Franzen had no trouble lobbing the puck into the empty net.

The Sabres got back within a goal with a strange one at 3:12 of the third period. With Kronwall in the box for interference, Kirk Maltby rocked Pominville at center. A scrum resulted in which everyone except a Sabre defenseman participated. While this was going on, Pominville got up, picked the puck out of the feet of the crowd, and skated in on Hasek alone. He scored to make it 3-2. That's two times in two games that the Wings were caught expecting a whistle that never came.

Kirk Maltby rounded out the scoring at 15:52. He was the beneficiary of a nice feed from Pavel Datsyuk out of the corner and sent a rocket from the circle through Miller to make it 4-2 Wings. Datsyuk and Valtteri Filppula had ground the puck out along the boards in a nice effort.

The Sabres put up a good fight toward the end and got some help in that respect by a late Filppula penalty. In the end, though, the Wings were better off shorthanded, as they were able to send the puck the length of the rink without risking icing.

Not a perfect game by the Wings, but a definite start.

Niklas Kronwall was incredible. He was very much "in-the-zone" offensively all night and looked strong defensively as well.

Jiri Hudler had a strong game and looks close to cracking his goalless streak.

Lilja also looked good, I thought. He made a nice save on a Paul Gaustad shot in the second period when the net was wide open. I think the shot was actually going wide, but it was good to see Lilja sacrifice his body like that. He didn't even cover up.

After some early jitters, Hasek settled down. I think the decisive moment was his slide tackle on Daniel Paille toward the end of the first period. Mikael Samuelsson's give away in the Sabres' zone led to a near 2-on-1, but the initial puck carrier stumbled. He managed to send it up to Paille, though, who had an effective breakaway developing before Hasek came well out of the net to take him out. No penalty was called on the play, but I think Hasek enjoyed his little excursion so much that it calmed him down for the rest of the game.

The Wings have a couple days to tinker before they face off against St. Louis Wednesday. They should be getting Brian Rafalski back, and that should help them improve on the effort in Buffalo. We can't know for sure, but if yesterday's game is any indication, they appear to be headed out of the slump.

Red Wings-Sabres: Detroit GameDay

Matt Saler — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:46:13 -0500

Tonight is the only meeting between the Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres this season. The Sabres won the last meeting, 3-2 in a shootout on October 13th, 2006, in Detroit. This is the Wings' first trip to Buffalo since December 10th, 2003, when an injury-depleted Detroit squad took the Sabres apart, 7-2.

The puck drops at 6:00 pm EST.

The 31-25-9 Sabres finished March with an 8-4-3 record. They won more often than they lost during the first half of the month, posting five of those wins and just two shootout losses in the first thirteen days. Beginning with a pair of losses on the 16th and 17th (to the Rangers and Penguins though), the Sabres hit a hot-and-cold patch. They won their next two games, another back-to-back series (against Tampa Bay and Toronto), but lost the two after that (Rangers and Flyers). They doubled up the Predators 8-4 on February 27th and then lost to Montreal on the 29th, 6-2.

Tonight's game is the last of a five-game homestand for the Sabres, who are 17-11-4 in Buffalo.

The Sabres' 71 points are good for fourth in the Northeast Division and ninth in the Eastern Conference. They are just two points behind the Flyers in the conference standings, though they'd need three to enter the eighth seed.

Jason Pominville is the team leader in assists and points with 40 and 59 respectively. Derek Roy is not far behind with 58 points. Tomas Vanek is the team leader in goals with 27, while Roy has 25. Deadline acqusition Steve Bernier has 15 goals and 26 points, but he had a big night in his debut with the Sabres, scoring two goals and notching an assist against the Predators.

It looks like Michael Ryan (groin) and Jochen Hecht (leg) are both out. The Buffalo News reports that Toni Lydman did not practice yesterday due to back spasms, however, there's no word on his status for the game tonight.

Projected Sabre lines:

Vanek-Roy-Bernier
Kotalik-Connolly-Pominville
Paille-Gaustad-Stafford
Afinogenov-Mair-Kaleta

Tallinder-Lydman
Spacek-Kalinin
Paetsch-Pratt

Ryan Miller should be the starter tonight.

For the Sabres' side of things, see The Willful Caboose, BfloBlog, Buffalo Love, Die By The Blade (preview here), Dispatches from the Aud, The Goose's Roost (preview here), Sabre Rattling, and Top Shelf.

The Wings finished February 4-8-2. Their only wins came in the first three games of the month and in a brief respite from the general losing trend on the 18th. They are coming off a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.

The Wings remain atop the NHL with 90 points, but they are just three ahead of Dallas.

Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in goals with 36. He and Pavel Datsyuk are tied in points with 75 each. Datsyuk's 52 assists are a team high.

A number of Red Wing forwards are in slumps, but of those that are expected to score, Jiri Hudler's 19-game skid is the worst. Hopefully the vote of confidence he received by not being traded at the deadline will turn into some goals.

The Wings will be without Brian Rafalski (groin) for hopefully the last time. He has missed the last seven games, but is expected to return Wednesday night.

Nick Lidstrom (knee sprain) will miss his fifth straight game.

Chris Chelios (chipped bone, right leg) will sit out for a fourth game.

Dan Cleary (broken jaw) remains out.

Projected lines:

Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Franzen-Zetterberg-Samuelsson
Maltby-Draper-Kopecky
Drake-Hudler-Downey

Projected pairings:

Kronwall-Stuart
Meec-Lilja
Ericsson-Lebda

Dominik Hasek will start tonight.

For more of the Wings' perspective, see: Snapshots, Abel to Yzerman, HockeyTownTodd, Behind the Jersey, No Pun Intended, Red Wings Nation, yzerman is god, Detroit Hockey, LetsGoWings, Red Wings Brasil, and Winging It In Motown.

Although the Sharks outplayed them by a fair margin, the Wings looked better Friday night than they have in a while. As long as they can build on that, they should be in a decent position tonight. Relative to western opponents, the Sabres are an unknown quantity, and that could cause the Wings some problems. If, however, they focus on playing a strong defensive game and remain dangerous on the power play, they should be in good shape to end the skid.

Sharks-Red Wings: On NHL Rule 85

Matt Saler — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:30:31 -0500

85.1 Puck Out of Bounds (PDF):

"... Should the puck strike the spectator netting at the ends and the corners of the arena, play shall be stopped and the ensuing face-off shall be determined as if the puck went outside the playing area. However, if the puck striking the spectator netting goes unnoticed by the on-ice officials, play shall continue as normal and resulting play with the puck shall be deemed a legitimate play. Players must not stop playing the game until they hear the whistle to do so."

My emphasis.

So that's the rule. Fine. That doesn't make it a good rule.

As Bruce MacLeod wrote, the key to the whole thing was the lack of noise. How four officials missed the lack of any sound such as the puck hitting glass is beyond me.

How is it that the puck is deflected high, over the glass so that it bulges the netting, falls back to the ice, and gets put in the net while four on-ice officials stand apparently oblivious to what's going on around them?

Actually, the referee in the corner (I did not catch his number) was apparently not quite oblivious: he actually brought his whistle halfway to his mouth before letting his hand drop as the puck returned to view. If he intended to stop the play, wasn't that puck dead under the accepted interpretation of Rule 32.2? Why didn't he follow through on the motion? Was he not surprised that the puck fell to the ice after a noticeable delay?

The fact that both referees were experienced officials makes their blunder all the more disappointing. According to the NHL Officials Association website, Tom Kowal is an seven-year veteran with over 321 NHL regular season games under his belt. Paul Devorski has been officiating since 1989 and has appeared in over 1041 NHL regular season and 116 playoff games. That both missed the puck hitting the net is inexcusable.

I don't want to get too hung up on a goal in a game in which the Sharks by and large dominated. However, what happened on that goal is shameful and an embarrassment to the NHL. It's analogous to an NFL running back going out of bounds and then back in bounds on a touchdown play and every official on the field somehow missing it. Tell me people wouldn't be justifiably upset.

What makes it worse is that there is no review on a play like that. As the rule says, any play following the striking of the netting by the puck that goes unnoticed by the referee is legitimate. That has to change when it leads directly to a goal. How can it still be considered a legitimate goal when the puck technically left the playing area?

In my opinion, the NHL should allow for the review of suspicious goals. Make it the job of the old goal judges to determine if a goal was scored under suspicious circumstances. If not the goal judges, allow the coaches of the team to challenge the goal.

Set up a checklist that includes looks at offsides, goaltender interference, high sticking, kicking motions, whistle blowing (intended or actual), the possibility that the puck went under the net or through the side, and possibility that the puck hit the netting. If any of those things occur during the offensive zone attack leading to the goal, it should be disallowed.

Giving the officials an out like Rule 85 currently does is just silly. Blowing a rule interpretation on goaltender interference is one thing. If they make a mistake on something such as rink boundaries or clearly definable lines, that's another. That sort of thing is not open to interpretation. It's pretty cut-and-dry, and video evidence can correct a mistake.

It's easy to complain about the goal as the reason the Wings lost. However, they had plenty of time to stage a comeback and wouldn't have been in that position had they not allowed the Sharks to dominate them in their own zone all night. Although the goal turned out to be the game winner, it's not the real reason the Wings lost. They were outplayed, once again.

However, I point the goal out because I believe the League should make the easy rule change. Use modern technology. Eliminate cheap goals like that. Give your officials some support so they don't have to bear the brunt of the fans' ire for blowing a call that could be overturned by video evidence.